The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lagerstroemia plant, botanically known as Lagerstroemia L. ‘PIILAG-III’×L. indica ‘Whit IV’, commonly known as crapemyrtle, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘PIILAG-VII’. ‘PIILAG-VII’ is grown primarily as an ornamental for landscape use.
‘PIILAG-VII’ originated from controlled pollinations seed of Lagerstroemia L. ‘PIILAG-III’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,178)×L. indica ‘WHIT IV’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,342) growing in Watkinsville, Ga. The cultivar ‘PIILAG-VII’ originated in 2010 and was selected in a cultivated environment in Watkinsville, Ga. from the progeny of this cross-pollination by continued evaluation for growth habit, foliage, flower, and disease resistance characteristics.
Asexual reproduction of ‘PIILAG-VII’ by stem cuttings in Watkinsville, Ga. since 2011 has shown that all the unique features of this new Lagerstroemia, as herein described, are stable and reproduced true-to-type through successive generations of such asexual propagation.